Okra , Abelmoschus esculentus , is a flowering annual that gestate edible pods and grow in allUSDA Hardiness Zones .
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In this clause , we offer thirteen delightful and attractive type of lady’s-finger from which to choose , to inclose this plant to your outside landscape . And once you ’ve made your selections , you canread more about growing okra plant in our detailed guide .
Here ’s what ’s in shop :
13 Okra Varieties to Love
Those of you in southern climates may enjoy all varieties because of your long growing season . You may rationalize tall plant mid - season for a fall bumper craw , and inseminate a 2d set of semen at mid - season .
For those in the North , like me , choose those with the shortest dates to adulthood , and start out seeds indoors to maximise grow clock time before temp plough chilly .
There are many different types of okra from which to pick out . The flavor is broadly speaking mild , but there is variation in pod length . However , all cultivars should be picked when immature , at about three to four inches in duration , for peak flavor and rawness .
Unless you want to feature the pods on plants grown as cosmetic specimens without peck them , length need not be a factor in product excerption .
Descriptions of the grandiloquent plants are sometimes non - specific with consultation to mature diameters ( i.e. the full wont ) , so a effective principle of thumb is to allow for a breadth as wide as the maximum tallness . And note that you may crop plants mid - time of year to a achievable height for easier harvesting , and to stimulate further cod production .
As you shop , you ’ll find dwarf variety that grow to three or four foot magniloquent with three - inch pods , and Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree - sized plant with fruits up to 14 inch long . Okra start are typically more difficult to find than seeds , though some baby’s room do have a bun in the oven them .
cod may be long or short , ridged or rounded , fuzzy or fluent , curved or straight . Colors include shades of dark-green and blood-red , as well as variegate .
Everyone has a preferred or two , and swears theirs are the better ! Here are thirteen top variety with information on where to bribe seeds , so you may get started on this class ’s gardening .
1. Baby Bubba Hybrid
‘ Baby Bubba ’ Hybrid seeds areavailable from Burpeein packages of 60 . This plant is value for its small size and suitability for cultivation in containers and small garden plots .
‘ Baby Bubba ’ Hybrid
plant are 3 - 4 feet magniloquent with a diameter of up to 24 inches . sour green fruits grow up to three inches in duration and mature in about 53 mean solar day , making this cultivar an excellent choice for cooler climates with shorter growing seasons .
2. Blondy
‘ Blondy ’ seeds areavailable from lawful Leaf Marketin one - ounce , four - ounce , and one - lbf. packages . Seeds are open - pollinated .
‘ Blondy ’ Open - Pollinated
Dwarf plants pass up to four invertebrate foot and bear three - inch , pale green , spineless pods in about 50 days . This is another excellent option for cool locales with short growing time of year , as well as patio mickle and minuscule spaces .
3. Burgundy
Heirloom ‘ Burgundy ’ seed areavailable from Burpeein software package of 50 . Plants may reach five feet in height and up to 48 inches in diameter .
Heirloom ‘ Burgundy ’
Attractive unripened leaves contrast with burgundy stem and six- to eight - in fruit , making this a particularly attractive decorative alternative .
Plants suppurate in 49 - 60 days . Pods may pale in color during cooking .
4. Cajun Delight
An excellent choice for a short growing time of year in cooler climate , this intercrossed matures in 50 - 55 solar day . It will reach a maximal height of four feet .
Hybrid ‘ Cajun Delight ’
glum fleeceable pod are 3 - 5 inches long , and slightly curve .
mail boat contain 1 gramme of ‘ Cajun Delight ’ seeded player , or roughly 18 seeds to get your Hibiscus esculentus patch started , areavailable from Seedsurvivor via Amazon .
5. Clemson Spineless
‘ Clemson Spineless ’ seeds areavailable from Burpeein bundle of 250 . Known for being the industry criterion and the most popular eccentric on the marketplace , ‘ Clemson Spineless ’ was an All - America Selections winner in 1939 , and has stay on a favorite ever since .
‘ Clemson Spineless ’
Plants arrive at a height of about four feet , and spread up to 48 inch in diam .
Early to mature , this heirloom is ready for crop in 55 - 60 days . Virtually spineless , slenderly curved glowering green seedpod may achieve nine inch in distance .
6. Cow Horn
If you ’re in the South where the develop season is long , and looking for an ornamental conversation starter , this one ’s for you .
This giant heirloom takes 90 days to mature . It may maturate as marvelous as 14 metrical unit , and produce enormous , curved cod of up to 14 inch in length !
‘ Cow Horn ’
unfastened - pollinate seedsare available from Eden Brothersin 1 - oz. , 1/4 - Irish punt , and 1 - pound packages .
7. Emerald
‘ Emerald ’ seedsare available from True Leaf Marketin one- and four - apothecaries' ounce , and one- and five - pound packages . seed are heirloom and open - cross-pollinate .
‘ Emerald ’ Heirloom
This classical variety was develop by Campbell ’s Soup Company in the 1950s , and works originate up to eight infantry tall .
Smooth , glowering green , exceptionally straight fruits maturate to seven inches . Expect maturity in about 60 Clarence Shepard Day Jr. .
8. Go Big
This is a good pick if you ’re looking for a wealth of comestible fruit , a spectacular decorative specimen , or both .
‘ Go Big ’
‘ Go Big ’ seed areavailable from Burpeein packages of 50 . Plants are tall , topping out at up to seven feet with a diam of up to five invertebrate foot .
Dark green pod are 7 in long . Harvest in 60 - 65 days .
9. Hill Country Red
Open - pollinated ‘ Hill Country Red ’ seeds areavailable from True Leaf Marketin one - ounce , four - apothecaries' ounce , and one - Cypriot pound packages .
‘ Hill Country Red ’
An heirloom from the Texas Hill Country of South Texas , establish top out at six - foot tall , tally geomorphological sake to the garden .
thickheaded dark-green fruits tinged with bolshy get up to six inches long . plant life mature in about 64 daytime .
10. Louisiana Green Velvet
Heirloom open - pollenate ‘ Louisiana Green Velvet ’ seedsare available from True Leaf Marketin one - ounce , four - ounce , and one - pound packages . Plants may arrive at eight feet tall and bear eight - inch , dark fleeceable , invertebrate pods .
‘ Louisiana Green Velvet ’
This exceptionally large plant bears fruit abundantly , and makes a bluff statement in the landscape . Expect matureness in about 65 days .
11. Perkins Long Pod
This heirloom is an early variety suitable for produce in northern and southerly climates . It reaches maturity of about 55 days .
Plants may grow to five feet in height , and endure unbowed green pods that are about four in long .
‘ Perkins Long Pod ’
‘ Perkins Long Pod ’ seedsare available from Eden Brothersin quantities order from a 1 - ounce mail boat to a 5 - pound sack .
12. Red Velvet
constituent ‘ Red Velvet ’ seeds areavailable from Burpeein packages of 50 . Plants grow to five foot with a diam of up to 48 inch , a practiced sizing for container or small - quad horticulture .
Organic ‘ Red Velvet ’
red violent yield is more or less ribbed and can spring up up to six inches long . Expect maturity in 55 - 60 day .
13. Silver Queen
‘ Silver Queen ’ is a southerly belle who make out the passion of summer , and is n’t tolerant of cold atmospheric condition .
Plants mature in about 80 day , another indicator that this cultivar is suited for warm regions with a tenacious season for eatable gardening .
‘ Silver Queen ’ Heirloom
An heirloom variety with a large habit that will reach up to six foundation tall , it produce creamy - colored pearl - green pod that can grow to seven inch long .
unfastened - pollinated seedsare uncommitted from Eden Brothersin 1 - ounce and quarter - pound packages , as well as 1 - quid sacks .
Delicious and Decorative
When selecting cultivar that you would like to plant , keep in mind that dwarf varieties are well - suited tocontainer horticulture on a patio . Tall unity make excellent anchorperson for edge gardens , where they provide morphological interest . And if you’dlike to save seedsfrom twelvemonth to year , blue-ribbon open - pollinate varieties that procreate true replicas of parent plant .
I like plants that are both ornamental and functional , and from a flowered invention perspective , nothing is as exciting as a crop of dry cod tospray Au and lineament in a holiday organisation .
Give okra a endeavor this year . You really ca n’t lose – its flowers are sure toattract beneficial pollinator , whether you corrode the cod or not !
Before you foot , be trusted to check out our article on harvestingthis veggie , with additional tasty lead for your use .
© Ask the Experts , LLC . ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.See our TOSfor more detail . ware pic via Burpee , Eden Brothers , True Leaf Market , and Seedsurvivor . Uncredited photo : Shutterstock .
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Nan Schiller
